


Bruised Persimmons

by ephona



Category: Bleach
Genre: Kendo, M/M, Shonen-ai, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-23
Updated: 2013-01-26
Packaged: 2017-11-26 13:54:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/651188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ephona/pseuds/ephona





	1. Chapter 1

“Hey! Nice of you to show up!”

Izuru Kira skidded to a stop in the middle of the doorway. His blond hair flopped over as he bowed at a complete 90 degree angle. “Gomenasai, Sensei.”

“You better be. You’re late.” Dressed in a lightweight gi and holding a bamboo sword, Madarame Ikkaku frowned at the young man.

“Gomenasai!”

Ikkaku sighed. “Take off your shoes and get on the mat. Then you owe me thirty push-ups, okay?”

“Hai, Sensei.” He slipped off his sandals with a hasty motion and ran onto the gym mat where the rest of the class was warming up. This was the third day in a row he’d been late to Kendo class. Already, he’d been humiliated in more ways than one by his Sensei and things didn’t look better in that regard. While the rest of the class practiced their sets, he began to do what Madarame-Sensei ordered him to do. Three push-ups in and his fellow classmate and senpai, Hisagi Shuhei, was at his side.

“Late again, Kira?” A goofy smile was plastered on his scarred face, his kendo sword swung over his back. “You need to stop doing that before Ikkaku gets really pissed.”

“I-I really am sorry.” His words didn’t have any emotion in them since most of his energy was being directed at getting his sixth push-up. “I got backed up.”

“Backed up?” Hisagi placed his head on the ground to look at him. “…why were you backed up?”

“N-Nothing.”

“That’s what you said last time.”

“I mean it this time! I was just late!” He began to do his push-ups faster, getting to twenty in record time and speed.

“Kira…don’t go hiding-“

“I’m…not…hiding….anything!” He did his last push-up and promptly collapsed on the ground. It was a normal enough occurrence. He wasn’t blessed with any sort of strength, especially upper body muscles. Out of all the people in this class, he was the skinniest and weakest of them all. Which only made his punishments even more humiliating. He let out a gasp of air and began to take deep breaths out of his lips.

“Kira…”

“I don’t know why you refuse to believe me.”

“Because the last few times you’ve been late, you also have gotten some injury.”

Kira turned his face to him with a darkened glare. “Hisagi, I’m fine, all right? Just because it happened a few times doesn’t mean-“

“What’s this then?” He grabbed Kira’s right wrist with a frown. A dark purely-blue bruise formed finger-like marks around it. Hisagi saw Kira’s face crumble into a guilty look. “Izuru….”

“Gin just got a bit rough, okay?” He yanked his arm away as he sat up. “Stop making such a big deal.”

“Just got a bit rough?” He let out a mocking scoff. “Izuru!”

Kira upturned is nose angrily. “Shut up.”

“Are you kidding? Kira!” He grasped his shoulders, yelling. “Listen…”

“HEY! KIRA! SHUHEI!” Ikkaku’s booming voice interrupted the two with a harsh growl and a large smack from the kendo sword hitting a nearby wall. “If you’re done with the push-ups, do your sets! I hate waiting for little shits like you!”

“S-Sensei! Permission to use the bathroom!”

“Granted. Jeez, you could have just told me without yelling across the room, Shuhei!”

Hisagi made a quick bow before grabbing Kira again and dragging him with him. “C’mon Izuru.”

Ikkaku snarled as he saw the two leave the room. “Wha-HEY! I never said Kira could go!”

“Oh just leave them be, Madrame-kun.” Vice instructor Ayasegawa Yumichika put his soft hand on his shoulder with a chuckle. “I can sense sexual tension when I see it.”

“All right. Fine. Wait…what?”

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
Hisagi shut the door behind him as he released Kira into the room with a swing, almost sending him barreling into the nearby stall. “Damnit, Kira! You’re impossible sometimes!”

“Says the guy who made a scene over a little bruise.”

He let out an enunciated groan, rolling his eyes at the stubborn blond. “Izuru, you got to listen to me. This is the third time he’s hurt you like this. First it was the strained wrist, then the cut inside your cheek from falling and now this!”

Kira glared at his tattooed friend. “Gin just got a bit rough, okay? I told you that. Now come on, we’re missing class.”

Hisagi decided it was time to take a different approach. He let out all his anger in one sigh and leaned against the tile wall. “Kira….why did Gin do this to you?”

Kira’s long lock of blond hair covered his face as he lowered his head. “He…didn’t want me to come to Kendo.”

“That’s it?”

“Yeah.” He rubbed his wrist where the swollen bruise was, nervously biting the inside skin of his lip. “He just…gets all high-strung lately when I get ready to leave. It’s not any other class either. Just this one.”

“Why? He’s never done that before.”

“Probably just upset.” Kira shrugged. 

“About the same thing?”

“No. But he just was upset in general.”

Hisagi stood up straight, approaching Kira and putting his hand on his shoulder. “Kira…you need to talk to someone about this.”

“About a bruise?”

“About…Gin abusing you.”

Kira went pale and pushed Hisagi off him and into the wall he was just leaning upon. “He is not abusing me! How many times do I got to tell you?”

“You said he was being rough.”

“But he’s not abusing me! What is wrong with you, Shuhei? Are you trying to ruin our relationship?”

Hisagi let out the last frustrated groan he had. “Damnit Izuru. You are so hard-headed…” He held up his hands with a submissive step backwards. “All right….fine. I’ll lay it off for today. But only if you promise me something.”

Kira relaxed a bit. “What?”

“You tell me all that is going on. I promise I’ll keep it confidential. And if this is still happening in a week, we’ll talk to Madrame-Sensei.”

Kira rubbed his injured wrist harder and took a deep breath. “Fine. Can we get back before he has a fit and makes me do sixty push-ups?”

“Promise me.” Hisagi thrust out his hand, exposing the designs tattooed around his wrist. “Shake on it.”

So he did. Kira shook his friend’s hand without hesitation. Because really….he was dead wrong about Gin.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Tadaima.” Kira locked the door to the apartment as he called down the living room.

“Izuru…” A white-haired man came out of the nearby kitchen. He held his hands close to his chest, wringing his hands together. His almond shaped eyes looked at the ground. “Welcome back, Izuru….”

“Hey.”

There was an awkward silence for a moment as Kira took off his shoes and set his kendo equipment near the doorstep. Gin lifted up his head, still wringing his hands.

“’ey….Izuru….h….how was yer class?”

“Usual. You know.”

“Yer arms hurt again?”

Kira giggled a bit. “You bet. I felt like they were going to snap in half. Madrame works us hard.”

“He would. He ain’t got ‘n off button."

Both of them shared a forced, awkward laugh. Kira came into the nearby kitchen that shared the same room as the small living room the apartment had. Gin sat on the couch with a soft grunt. Kira turned the oven on to warm himself up some food just as Gin spoke again. 

“Izuru…I’m sorry. I’m sorry fer pushin’ you ‘nd tuggin’ you around.”

“No problem.” Kira leaned on the counter that hung over into the living room portion of the room. “I forgive you, Gin.”

“I…I’m really sorry.”

“You only have to say it once. I’m okay.”

Gin seemed to relax again. He pointed a lanky figure at a small box sitting on the right of the counter. “I got you some persimmons ta apologize. I know they’s your favorite.”

“O-Oh….thank you….” As Kira put his meal in the oven, he took one of the little orange fruits out of the box, cradling it in his hands. It was so smooth…so perfect. Chills went down his spine as Gin’s warm hand graced over his to touch the skin of the fruit. “Izuru…do ya still love me? After I hurt you? Do ya still love me?”

“You’re acting ridiculous. Of course I do.” Kira leaned back into Gin’s chest, his bruised hand stroking his head. “I’ll always love you.”

“G…Good. Cuz…I love ya too.” He kissed Kira with a soft touch. “I really do.”

He felt Gin’s greedy arms start to reach under his shirt and massage his muscles. He melted in his firm grip and craned his neck up to steal a kiss. 

Hisagi didn’t now Gin like he did. Hisagi was wrong. Gin wasn’t hurting him. Gin would never hurt him on purpose.


	2. Chapter 2

“Kira…what is that?”

“What?”

“This!” Hisagi jabbed Kira in his arm where his sleeve was showing yet another bruise.  “What the hell is this?”

“A bruise, Shuhei.”

”Is it from Gin?”

Kira pulled down his uniform sleeve, readjusting his position.  “Hisagi, I fell. It wasn’t G-“

“Gin pushed you, huh?”

He clocked Hisagi on his shoulder guard with his kendo sword, sending s smacking noise through the air.  “Lay it off, Shuhei!  You’re making a big deal out of nothing.”

“Nothing?  _Nothing_?”  Hisagi jabbed the top of his sword onto Kira’s chest.  “Izuru, he pushed you because you wanted to leave, huh?  Just like him grabbing you yesterday?  That is not a mood swing.  He is being overly-possessive of you.”

“Not overly.” He pushed Hisagi’s sword away calmly.  “Just a little.  You heard what happened with his boyfriend, right?”

“Well yeah but that’s no excuse!” Hisagi slipped his helmet over his head, banging his hand on the face cage.  

“He’s not abusing me, Hisagi.”

The boy frowned at him as Kira also got suited up for a practice duel.  He held his sword attention with a huff.  “Kira….have you ever stopped to think _why_ he doesn’t want you to come to kendo?”

Kira blew some of his hair out of his face, glaring even harder at Hisagi.  “No but why does it matter?  Gin doesn’t do this just to hurt me.”

“Then what is his reasoning?”

The conversation paused for a moment as they had their mock duel.  They stared at one another watching to see who would make the first move.  Kira swung his sword down hard on Hisagi but, as per usual, wasn’t quite quick enough.  A large thwack sounded as his helmet was racked by Hisagi’s sword.

“Damn!”

“Gotta be more on top of it, Izuru.”

“Don’t call me that.”

Hisagi’s dark eyes lit up. “Kira….is Gin….stronger than you?”

“Let’s be honest; who’s not stronger than me?”

“Do you think that’s why Gin doesn’t want you to come here?”

He paused in thought for a brief moment. “No way.  He hasn’t done this before.  So why would he stop me now?”

“Because you’re getting stronger.”

“Okay now you’re just being stupid.”

“I’m serious!” Hisagi lifted off his helmet. “What if he’s holding you back because he doesn’t want you to get stronger and overpower him?”

Kira took off his helmet in turn, a nasty scowl on his face.  “Gin is not being abusive or overpowering!”

“Then what, Izuru?  What is he being!?”

Silence came between the two’s conversation.  Kira’s hair flopped downwards as he bowed his head.  “I….don’t know.”

Hisagi put his helmet down on the mat and approached his friend with a soft hand, placing it on his back and saying “Kira….I’m not doing this to hurt you or Gin.  I truly know how much you love Gin and that Gin loves you.  But I want to keep you safe.  I….don’t know why Gin’s doing this but it isn’t right.  And it needs to get resolved somehow. Because if this gets worse…you won’t be happy.”

He paused.  Kira was crying.  He rubbed his friend’s back as Kira straightened himself up with tears running down his pale cheeks.

“Hisagi…t-thank you for being reasonable.”

“Uh…you’re welcome?”

He let out yet another sigh.  “I-I just…I just don’t want to admit that he might be abu….abusing me.”

Hisagi pulled him into a hug, rubbing his back even more.  “I know…me either.  But I don’t want you to hurt like this.”

“W-what do I do?  I don’t want this to happen! I don’t want our relationship to be ruined like this!”

He pulled away, his fingers firmly gripped on Kira’s shoulders.  “Talk to him.  Talk to him about it.  I’m sure that whatever it is, you can fix it by talking to him.”

“W-What if it doesn’t work?”

“Then tell me.  We’ll cross that bridge when it comes.  If it comes.”

Without any other words, Kira hugged him back, a silent thank you whispering from his heart.  Hisagi was the voice he was too afraid to speak aloud to himself.  He didn’t want to admit that Gin might be abusing him.  He didn’t want his days next to Gin to ever end.  He didn’t want this to be true.  But each bruise told a different story.

Hopefully, he could deny his fears or change Gin’s mind.

“Kira! Shuhei! Stop acting like homosexuals and get to work!”

The two leapt into a bow.  “H-Hai sensei!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~~*

Even with his reinstilled confidence in himself and in his reasoning, Kira couldn’t do it.  When he got home that day, the words he had planned to say to Gin, asking him off the reason for his harshness never made it past his throat.  Saturday and Sunday came with the same result.  He could feel butterflies pumping in his stomach every time he wondered if now was a good time.  Gin had gotten the two of them more persimmons which still sat in the produce box on the kitchen counter.  Soon, Monday came and classes resumed.  Kira felt his heard skip a beat as he wondered what kendo class would be like that day.  _I can do it…I…I love him.  That means I shouldn’t be afraid._

After the bulk of their classes, Kira and Gin returned to the apartment to have dinner (if you could tall three o’clock dinnertime) and relax.  Both of them cuddled together on the couch, the television blaring out a rather intense movie that no one was really paying too much attention to.  Because Kira was paying attention to the clock.  3:30.  3:45.  3:50.  Around 3:53, he squirmed, letting the butterflies flutter again.

“Gin…I got to get ready for class.”

“Mmm why?”

“Because I got class.  In seven minutes.”

The foxy white-haired man pressed Kira’s thin body closer into his warm body.  “But we’re watchin’ the movie.”

“I got a class, Gin.  The movie can wait.”

“But you’re here wif me.  ‘n we were havin’ some fun.”

Kira took in a deep breath, trying to keep the butterflies at bay.  He felt the words he’d wanted to say come up, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth as he said them.  “Gin…why don’t you want me to go to kendo class?”

“Cuz you’re here wif me.”

“No. I mean why won’t you let me go?  You let me go to all my other classes.”

Gin’s eternal grin fell.  “What’s da problem wif skippin’ a day?”

“That’s not what I asked!” Kira pried himself off Gin, pushing him aside.  “Gin, just answer my question, please!”

“Eh, wat was da question again?”

“W-why is it that whenever I try to go to kendo class you stop me?”

Gin placed his cool, slender fingers around Kira’s chin with a sensual chuckle.  “Cuz I want ya here.  Wif me.”

“It’s a class.  I have to go.”

“No ya ain’t.  Ya don’t have ta go.  All Ikkaku ever does ‘n that class is cause ya pain anyways.”

“But I get stronger because of it.”

“Aww, Izuru, I don’t need ya to be stronger.”

Alarm bells began ringing in his head.  He pulled away again, leaving the couch and getting to his feet.  “Gin, why do you hurt me when I try and leave you?”

“I don’t mean it.  It’s an accede-“

“Accident? _Accident?_   It happened all last week!”

Gin showed his ice-blue irises for a moment.  “Izuru…what are ya tryin’ ta say?  I don’t like beatin’ round the bush.”

“A…are you hurting me on purpose?”

“Yer askin’ if I’m bein’ abusive, huh?”

Usually, Gin’s frank discovery and calm demeanor would catch Kira off guard.  He’d pause and stammer a bit before asking how he had read his mind.  But Kira reacted completely differently as the words came out of Gin’s crooked lips.  “Yes, Gin!  Are you abusing me?”

“Ya lack so much tact.” Gin huffed.  “Ain’t matter who you ya ask.  If ya ask someone dat head-on, ya won’t get a straight answer.”

“Is that a yes or a not?”

“Izuru….why would I hurt ya on purpose?”

Kira could feel his cheeks burning with anger.  He grabbed his bag off the floor and stormed towards the door.  “I’m going to class.”

There was a tug at his sleeve.  Gin grabbed his wrist and pulled him back towards him.  His other hand locked firmly onto the opposite shoulder. “Izuru.”

“Let go of me!” Kira flailed his arm around, releasing himself from Gin for just a slight moment.  Gin was at him again, an arm around his chest and a hand firmly clasping around his wrist.

“Please stay, Izuru. Please stay here!”

“No! No! Let go of me!” Adrenaline pumped into his veins, causing him to wrench his hand free and slap Gin with his open palm.  Gin let out a growl and released Kira, pushing him into the nearest wall with all his might.  “Ya bastard!”

“You’re the one grabbing me!” Kira got to his feet only to be grabbed by Gin again.  Now both of Gin’s hands held his wrists captive and away from him. “Ichimaru!”

“Kira, why won’t ya shut up for one second and listen ta me?”  Gin’s bare foot dug his heel into Kira’s shin. Kira crumpled a bit as pain shot up his leg.  “I can’t letcha go to kendo. I can’t let you go!”

“Why? So you can control me?” He rebutted with a kick at Gin’s groin which Gin dodged with no effort at all.  He pushed Kira to the ground again and pressed his knee to his chest.

“Izuru! Just listen. Ya can’t go cuz-“

“Bastard! L-Let me go!” He tried to pry Gin off him by twisting to the side.

“IZURU!  LISTEN!”

“Stop hurting me!”

“It’s da only way to get you to listen Izuru Kira! Just listen, willya?”

“Not if you keep pushing me and hurting me!” He began screaming. “You promised! You’d never hurt me on purpose!  You…you liar! You foxy, dirty liar!”

“SHUT UP IZURU!”

Kira wrenched his way free and quickly got on all fours to stand up. As he stood, a hard fish hit him right in his arm.  He let out a gasp of surprise right before Gin grabbed him by his collar and lifted him upwards.  “Izuru, ya gotta hear me out.  Ya gotta stay! Ya gotta stay here and stay here with me!”

“So you can what?  So you can order me around? So you can control me?”

“Izuru…”

Kira grabbed Gin’s wrist and began to yell.  “I don’t give a damn about what you’re saying anymore!  I don’t give a damn because you answered my question! You’re hurting me!”

“I don’t wanna hurt ya-“

“Well too late!” Tears began to run down his cheek.  “You…you bastard, Gin!  You BASTARD! Maybe you should go back to him if-“

“Don’t you _dare_ mention ‘im!” Gin’s face suddenly darkened and his eyes shone like daggers through his slanted eyelids. 

“-If you just wanna hurt me so much, just go back to-“

The fiery rage Gin held inside of him exploded.   His free hand balled together in a concentrated fist and clocked Kira right on the bridge of his nose.  His head was wrenched backwards by the force of the punch. Gin released his body afterwards, Kira’s body slamming and sliding across the ground.  He let out a whimper as he skidded to a stop along the carpet.  His mouth cavity and nostrils filled with warm, salty blood.  As he placed his hand over his steadily bleeding nose, he lifted up his head to glare at the sky blue eyes of his boyfriend.  He just stood there, still as a statue, staring at his hands like they were foreign to him.

“Izuru….I-“

He got to his feet and ran to the door.  Before shutting the door behind him, Kira turned back, his nose still bleeding and a bruise forming around his swollen eye socket.  “I hate you! I hate you Gin!”

And with that he ran towards the dojo, letting his feet never touch the ground.


End file.
